MLB Same Game Parlay Picks, Odds & Predictions – Thursday, April 18

It’s “Getaway Day” Thursday with only five games on the MLB betting board to decipher in an attempt to add to the bottom line over at Caesars Sportsbook. Let’s roll up our sleeves and attempt to do just that with a couple games that pique my interest – SLAM YOUR MAN!!

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Los Angeles Angels vs. Tampa Bay Rays

The Halos and Rays split the first two games of this series. Los Angeles logged the 7-3 win as healthy +147 underdogs in the opener scoring seven runs on 13 hits and getting a yeoman’s effort from Patrick Sandoval who tossed five innings of 1 ER ball. Tampa countered with a 7-6 extra innings win in the second game by way of plating two runs in the bottom of the ninth to extend the game. Both pitching staffs were stretched out in that one with the Angels sending seven pitchers to the bump, and the Rays eight. Reid Detmers is set to square off against Zack Littell on Wednesday, so it wouldn’t shock me at all if the teams played to a third straight high scorer in “The Trop.”

Onto Thursday’s finale which pits Griffin Canning up against Ryan Pepiot in an early start. The former has been wretched regardless of venue evidenced by his bloated 9.88 ERA and 13.8 hits allowed per nine innings. The right-hander’s WHIP clocks in at an absurd 1.829! While not overly impressed with his career body of work, Canning is a much better hurler than he’s shown through his first three starts. One must consider however that they came against Boston (twice) and Baltimore, two teams that possess above average offenses. The Rays have been middling in averaging 4.2 runs per game.

So too have been the Angels who played to low scorers in five of their previous six before lighting Tampa’s pitching staff up on Monday and Tuesday. That bodes well for the Rays’ righty who enters start No. 4 1-2 with a 5.40 ERA that was recently touched up by the Giants who got to him for five hits (2 HR) and 4 ER through five innings. Still, the fireballer tallied 6 K and only issued one free pass upping his K/9 to 10.8 and lowering his BB/9 to 2.7. LA and Tampa each own K rates north of 23% which leads me to believe each will be in a position to exceed their strikeout props in what I expect to be a low scoring first five innings. Go ahead and play the full game under instead if you can stomach each of these team’s poor bullpens coming into play.

MLB SAME GAME PARLAY: FIRST FIVE INNINGS UNDER + CANNING OVER K PROP + PEPIOT OVER K PROP

Miami Marlins vs. Chicago Cubs

As it stands right now, the Marlins starting pitcher for the opener of this extended four game series is undecided. It was believed Braxton Garrett would return to the rotation for this series, but the lefty suffered a setback in his rehab assignment and won’t be able to do so. Miami upper management still made the boneheaded decision to send Max Meyer – their best pitcher to date – down to Triple-A in the move that opened up a slot for Edward Cabrera. I just don’t get what this franchise is doing going back to the offseason until now.

That being said, this looks to be a prime spot for Shota Imanaga and the Cubs to flourish regardless of who the Fish ultimately decide to send to the bump. The Japanese import will get the benefit of squaring off against a Miami team batting a collective .194 against LHP (#28) that’s amounted to a paltry 2.4 runs per game (#29) and 1-9 overall record. On top of all that, the Marlins have been sent down on strikes a league-worst 22.4% of the time versus southpaws, and Imanaga has been at his best within the “Friendly Confines” where he’s thrown 10 innings of shutout ball and racked up a perfect 12:0 K/BB ratio against the Rockies and Dodgers. Per Baseball Savant, Miami has had issues with the lefty’s arsenal that consists of 4-seamers, splitters, and sweepers. Though this is the first game back from an extended west coast swing, the Cubs own heavy matchup advantages both on the bump and at the dish enough to ride them in the opener. 

MLB SAME GAME PARLAY: CUBS MONEYLINE + IMANAGA OVER PITCHING OUTS

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